Naval War College professor resigns after racy photo inquiry

Aug. 11, 2014 - 07:13PM
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A U.S. Naval War College professor has resigned following an investigation into a complaint that he took a racy photo that wound up online.

John Schindler voluntarily resigned his post as a professor of national security affairs, effective Aug. 29, a college spokeswoman said Monday. The former National Security Agency intelligence analyst has been on administrative leave since late June.

A May text message conversation with a photo of a penis and Schindler’s name atop it was circulated in June on Twitter. It was unclear who sent it and who posted it.

A blogger sent a complaint to college administrators in Newport, and the college’s president ordered an investigation.

Schindler has been critical of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden and others and frequently engaged in heated exchanges with critics on Twitter. He did not immediately return telephone and email messages from The Associated Press on Monday. He previously refused to discuss the photo, citing legal reasons.

College spokeswoman Cmdr. Kelly Brannon declined to say what the investigators concluded. She said Schindler was told of the findings in late July and of possible outcomes. He had seven days to respond before an official decision was made, and he voluntarily submitted his resignation, she said.

Schindler had taught at the college since 2005. He posted a statement on his website in June addressing the controversy and apologizing for actions that he said “showed poor judgment and were inexcusable.” He emphasized that he did not break the law, and said he also recognized he had been “rude and dismissive of other people’s views” on Twitter.

Schindler took a brief break from social media but now posts again regularly. Lately he has been vocal about the conflict in Ukraine.

The war college is a one-year, resident program that graduates about 600 students a year, according to its website.